Pas ~ French Negative Adverb
Lesson on using pas without ne
The French negative adverb pas is often used in conjunction with ne, but pas can also be used all on its own. The main difference between these two constructions is that ne... pas is used to negate a verb, while pas without ne is used to negate an adjective, adverb, noun, or some other non-verbal construction. Pas can also be used to confirm a statement. The usage of pas without ne is somewhat informal - in most cases, it is possible to make a sentence using ne... pas that means the same thing.
| Pas + Adjective | ||
| Elle doit être ravie ! Pas ravie, mais heureuse, oui. |
She must be delighted! Not delighted, but (yes, she is) happy. |
|
| C'est un homme pas sympathique. | He is an unkind man. | |
| Pas gentil, ça. | That's not nice. | |
| Pas + Adverb | ||
| Tu en veux ? Oui, mais pas beaucoup. |
Do you want some? Yes, but not a lot. |
|
| Pourquoi pas ? | Why not? | |
| Ça va ? Pas mal. |
How are you? Not bad. |
|
| Pas comme ça ! | Not like that! | |
| Pas si vite ! | Not so fast! | |
| Pas souvent, pas encore, pas trop | Not often, not yet, not too much | |
| Pas + Noun/Pronoun | ||
| Elle vient mercredi ? Non, pas mercredi. Jeudi. |
Is she coming on Wednesday? No, not Wednesday. Thursday. |
|
| Pas de problème ! | No problem! | |
| Je veux deux bananes. Pas de bananes aujourd'hui. |
I want two bananas. No bananas today. |
|
| Qui veut nous aider ? Pas moi ! |
Who wants to help us? Not me! |
|
| Tu as faim ? Pas du tout ! |
Are you hungry? Not at all! |
|
| Pas for confirmation | ||
| Tu viens, ou pas ? | Are you coming, or not? | |
| Je l'aime bien, pas toi ? | I really like it, don't you? | |
| Pas vrai ? | Right? Isn't that true? | |
| Informal negation | ||
| More French negation lessons |
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